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or Gaedhealtacht (; (:ˈɡeːl̪ˠt̪ˠəxt̪ˠ) or (:ˈɡeːl̪ˠhəxt̪ˠ); plural or ''Gaedhealtachtaí'' ) is an Irish-language word used to denote any primarily Irish-speaking region. In Ireland, the term Gaeltacht refers individually to any, or collectively to all, of the districts where the government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home.〔(Webster's Dictionary – definition of ''Gaeltacht'' )〕 The boundaries of the Gaeltacht have always included a high percentage of resident English speakers. The Gaeltacht districts were first officially recognised during the in 1920s in the early years of the Irish Free State, following the Gaelic Revival, as part of a government policy aimed at restoring the Irish language. It is now recognised that the Gaeltacht is threatened by serious language decline.〔Mac Donnacha, Joe, 'The Death of a Language,' ''Dublin Review of Books'', Issue 58, June 16th, 2014: http://www.drb.ie/essays/the-death-of-a-language〕 Research published in 2015 showed that of the 155 electoral divisions in the Gaeltacht, only 21 are communities where Irish is spoken on a daily basis by 67% or more of the population.〔RTE News Report of Friday 29 May 2015〕〔(NUASHONRÚ AR AN STAIDÉAR CUIMSITHEACH TEANGEOLAÍOCH AR ÚSÁID NA GAEILGE SA GHAELTACHT: 2006–2011 )〕 67% is regarded as a tipping point for language survival.〔 ==History== In 1926 the official Gaeltacht came into being after the report of the first Gaeltacht Commission ''Coimisiún na Gaeltachta''. The exact boundaries were not defined. The quota at the time was 25%+ Irish-speaking, although in many cases Gaeltacht status was accorded to areas that were linguistically weaker than this. The Irish Free State recognised that there were Irish-speaking or semi-Irish-speaking districts in 15 of its 26 counties. In the 1950s another Gaeltacht Commission concluded that the Gaeltacht boundaries were ill-defined. It recommended that the Gaeltacht status admittance of an area be based solely on the strength of the language there. The Gaeltacht districts were initially defined precisely in the 1950s, excluding many areas which had witnessed a decline in the language. This left Gaeltacht areas in seven of the state's 26 counties (nominally Donegal, Galway, Mayo, Kerry, Cork, and Waterford). The Gaeltacht boundaries have not officially been altered since then, apart from minor changes: * The inclusion of An Clochán (''Cloghane'') and Cé Bhréanainn (''Brandon'') in County Kerry in 1974; * The inclusion of a part of West Muskerry in County Cork (although the Irish-speaking population had seriously decreased from what it had been before the 1950s); and * The inclusion of Baile Ghib (''Gibstown)'' and Ráth Chairn (''Rathcarran'') in Meath in 1967. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Gaeltacht」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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